Morantel allosterically enhances channel gating of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine alpha 3 beta 2 receptors

Recent Advances in the Discovery of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Allosteric Modulators

Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs), negative allosteric modulators (NAMs), silent agonists, allosteric activating PAMs and neutral or silent allosteric modulators are compounds capable of modulating the nicotinic receptor by interacting at allosteric modulatory sites distinct from the orthosteric sites. This survey is focused on the compounds that have been shown or have been designed to interact with nicotinic receptors as allosteric modulators of different subtypes, mainly α7 and α4β2. Minimal chemical changes can cause a different pharmacological profile, which can then lead to the design of selective modulators. Experimental evidence supports the use of allosteric modulators as therapeutic tools for neurological and non-neurological conditions.

Competitive inhibition of the high-affinity choline transporter by tetrahydropyrimidine anthelmintics

The high-affinity choline transporter CHT1 mediates choline uptake, the rate-limiting and regulatory step in acetylcholine synthesis at cholinergic presynaptic terminals. CHT1-medated choline uptake is specifically inhibited by hemicholinium-3, which is a type of choline analog that acts as a competitive inhibitor. Although the substrate choline and the inhibitor hemicholinium-3 are well-established ligands of CHT1, few potent ligands other than choline analogs have been reported. Here we show that tetrahydropyrimidine anthelmintics, known as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists, act as competitive inhibitors of CHT1. A ligand-dependent trafficking assay in cell lines expressing human CHT1 was designed to search for CHT1 ligands from a collection of biologically active compounds. We found that morantel as well as other tetrahydropyrimidines, pyrantel and oxantel, potently inhibits the high-affinity choline uptake activity of CHT1 in a competitive manner similar to the inhibitor hemicholinium-3. They also inhibit the high-affinity choline transporter from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Finally, tetrahydropyrimidines potently inhibit the high-affinity choline uptake in rat brain synaptosomes at a low micromolar level, resulting in the inhibition of acetylcholine synthesis. The rank order of potency in synaptosomes is as follows: morantel > pyarantel > oxantel (K_i = 1.3, 5.7, and 8.3 μM, respectively). Our results reveal that tetrahydropyrimidine anthelmintics are novel CHT1 ligands that inhibit the high-affinity choline uptake for acetylcholine synthesis in cholinergic neurons.

Orthosteric and allosteric potentiation of heteromeric neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Heteromeric nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) were thought to have two orthodox agonist-binding sites at two α/β subunit interfaces. Highly selective ligands are hard to develop by targeting orthodox agonist sites because of high sequence similarity of this binding pocket among different subunits. Recently, unorthodox ACh-binding sites have been discovered at some α/α and β/α subunit interfaces, such as α4/α4, α5/α4 and β3/α4. Targeting unorthodox sites may yield subtype-selective ligands, such as those for (α4β2)₂ α5, (α4β2)₂ β3 and (α6β2)₂ β3 nAChRs. The unorthodox sites have unique pharmacology. Agonist binding at one unorthodox site is not sufficient to activate nAChRs, but it increases activation from the orthodox sites. NS9283, a selective agonist for the unorthodox α4/α4 site, was initially thought to be a positive allosteric modulator (PAM). NS9283 activates nAChRs with three engineered α4/α4 sites. PAMs, on the other hand, act at allosteric sites where ACh cannot bind. Known PAM sites include the ACh-homologous non-canonical site (e.g. morantel at β/α), the C-terminus (e.g. Br-PBTC and 17β-estradiol), a transmembrane domain (e.g. LY2087101) or extracellular and transmembrane domain interfaces (e.g. NS206). Some of these PAMs, such as Br-PBTC and 17β-estradiol, require only one subunit to potentiate activation of nAChRs. In this review, we will discuss differences between activation from orthosteric and allosteric sites, their selective ligands and clinical implications. These studies have advanced understanding of the structure, assembly and pharmacology of heteromeric neuronal nAChRs.

LINKED ARTICLES

This article is part of a themed section on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.11/issuetoc.

Allosteric modulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are receptors for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and are members of the 'Cys-loop' family of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs). Acetylcholine binds in the receptor extracellular domain at the interface between two subunits and research has identified a large number of nAChR-selective ligands, including agonists and competitive antagonists, that bind at the same site as acetylcholine (commonly referred to as the orthosteric binding site). In addition, more recent research has identified ligands that are able to modulate nAChR function by binding to sites that are distinct from the binding site for acetylcholine, including sites located in the transmembrane domain. These include positive allosteric modulators (PAMs), negative allosteric modulators (NAMs), silent allosteric modulators (SAMs) and compounds that are able to activate nAChRs via an allosteric binding site (allosteric agonists). Our aim in this article is to review important aspects of the pharmacological diversity of nAChR allosteric modulators and to describe recent evidence aimed at identifying binding sites for allosteric modulators on nAChRs.

Subunit interfaces contribute differently to activation and allosteric modulation of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are widely distributed in the nervous system and are implicated in many normal and pathological processes. The structural determinants of allostery in nAChRs are not well understood. One class of nAChR allosteric modulators, including the small molecule morantel (Mor), acts from a site that is structurally homologous to the canonical agonist site but exists in the β(+)/α(-) subunit interface. We hypothesized that all nAChR subunits move with respect to each other during channel activation and allosteric modulation. We therefore studied five pairs of residues predicted to span the interfaces of α3β2 receptors, one at the agonist interface and four at the modulator interface. Substituting cysteines in these positions, we used disulfide trapping to perturb receptor function. The pair α3Y168-β2D190, involving the C loop region of the β2 subunit, mediates modulation and agonist activation, because evoked currents were reduced up to 50% following oxidation (H2O2) treatment. The pair α3S125-β2Q39, below the canonical site, is also involved in channel activation, in accord with previous studies of the muscle-type receptor; however, the pair is differentially sensitive to ACh activation and Mor modulation (currents decreased 60% and 80%, respectively). The pairs α3Q37-β2A127 and α3E173-β2R46, both in the non-canonical interface, showed increased currents following oxidation, suggesting that subunit movements are not symmetrical. Together, our results from disulfide trapping and further mutation analysis indicate that subunit interface movement is important for allosteric modulation of nAChRs, but that the two types of interfaces contribute unequally to receptor activation.

Functional characterization of the 1,5-benzodiazepine clobazam and its major active metabolite N-desmethylclobazam at human GABA(A) receptors expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes

The 1,5-benzodiazepine clobazam is indicated for the adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in patients 2 years of age or older in the United States, and for treatment of anxiety and various forms of epilepsy elsewhere. Clobazam has been reported to exhibit different in vivo adverse effects and addiction liability profile than the classic 1,4-benzodiazepines. In this study, it was investigated whether the in vitro pharmacological properties of clobazam and its major active metabolite N-desmethylclobazam could explain some of these clinical differences. The functional properties of the two 1,5-benzodiazepines were characterized at the human γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABA_AR) subtypes α₁β₂γ_2S, α₂β₂γ_2S, α₃β₂γ_2S, α₅β₂γ_2S and α₆β₂δ expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes by use of two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology and compared to those exhibited by the 1,4-benzodiazepine clonazepam. All three compounds potentiated GABA EC₂₀-evoked responses through the α_1,2,3,5β₂γ_2S GABA_ARs in a reversible and concentration-dependent manner, with each displaying similar EC₅₀ values at the four subtypes. Furthermore, the degrees of potentiation of the GABA EC₂₀ currents through the four receptors mediated by saturating modulator concentrations did not differ substantially for any of the three benzodiazepines. The three compounds were substantially less potent (200-3900 fold) as positive allosteric modulators at the α₆β₂δ GABA_AR than at the α_1,2,3,5β₂γ_2S receptors. Interestingly, however, clobazam and especially N-desmethylclobazam were highly efficacious potentiators of α₆β₂δ receptor signaling. Although this activity component is unlikely to contribute to the in vivo effects of clobazam/N-desmethylclobazam, the 1,5-benzodiazepine could constitute an interesting lead for novel modulators targeting this low-affinity binding site in GABA_ARs. In conclusion, the non-selective modulation exerted by clobazam, N-desmethylclobazam and clonazepam at the α₁β₂γ_2S, α₂β₂γ_2S, α₃β₂γ_2S and α₅β₂γ_2S GABA_ARs indicate that the observed clinical differences between clobazam and 1,4-benzodiazepines are likely to arise from factors other than their respective pharmacological properties at the GABA_ARs as investigated here.

Discovery of potent positive allosteric modulators of the α3β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by a chemical space walk in ChEMBL

While a plethora of ligands are known for the well studied α7 and α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), only very few ligands address the related α3β2 nAChR expressed in the central nervous system and at the neuromuscular junction. Starting with the public database ChEMBL organized in the chemical space of Molecular Quantum Numbers (MQN, a series of 42 integer value descriptors of molecular structure), a visual survey of nearest neighbors of the α7 nAChR partial agonist N-(3R)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl-4-chlorobenzamide (PNU-282,987) pointed to N-(2-halobenzyl)-3-aminoquinuclidines as possible nAChR modulators. This simple "chemical space walk" was performed using a web-browser available at www.gdb.unibe.ch . Electrophysiological recordings revealed that these ligands represent a new and to date most potent class of positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the α3β2 nAChR, which also exert significant effects in vivo. The present discovery highlights the value of surveying chemical space neighbors of known drugs within public databases to uncover new pharmacology.

Intra-subunit flexibility underlies activation and allosteric modulation of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Allosteric modulation is a general feature of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, yet the structural components and movements important for conversions among functional states are not well understood. In this study, we examine the communication between the binding sites for agonist and the modulator morantel (Mor) of neuronal α3β2 receptors, measuring evoked currents of receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes with the two-electrode voltage-clamp method. We hypothesized that movement along an interface of β sheets connecting the agonist and modulator sites is necessary for allosteric modulation. To address this, we created pairs of substituted cysteines that span the cleft formed where the outer β sheet meets the β sheet constituting the (-)-face of the α3 subunit; the three pairs were L158C-A179C, L158C-G181C and L158C-K183C. Employing a disulfide trapping approach in which bonds are formed between neighboring cysteines under oxidation conditions, we found that oxidation treatments decreased the amplitude of currents evoked by either the agonist (ACh) or co-applied agonist and modulator (ACh + Mor), by as much as 51%, consistent with the introduced bond decreasing channel efficacy. Reduction treatment increased evoked currents up to 89%. The magnitude of the oxidation effects depended on whether agonists were present during oxidation and on the cysteine pair. Additionally, the cysteine mutations themselves decreased Mor potentiation, implicating these residues in modulation. Our findings suggest that these β sheets in the α3 subunit move with respect to each other during activation and modulation, and the residues studied highlight the contribution of this intramolecular allosteric pathway to receptor function.

Effects of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor allosteric modulators in animal behavior studies

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated cation-conducting transmembrane channels from the cys-loop receptor superfamily. The neuronal subtypes of these receptors (e.g. the α7 and α4β2 subtypes) are involved in neurobehavioral processes such as anxiety, the central processing of pain, food intake, nicotine seeking behavior, and a number of cognitive functions like learning and memory. Neuronal nAChR dysfunction is involved in the pathophysiology of many neurological disorders, and behavioral studies in animals are useful models to assess the effects of compounds that act on these receptors. Allosteric modulators are ligands that bind to the receptors at sites other than the orthosteric site where acetylcholine, the endogenous agonist for the nAChRs, binds. While conventional ligands for the neuronal nAChRs have been studied for their behavioral effects in animals, allosteric modulators for these receptors have only recently gained attention, and research on their behavioral effects is growing rapidly. Here we will discuss the behavioral effects of allosteric modulators of the neuronal nAChRs.

The different ways through which specificity works in orthosteric and allosteric drugs

Currently, there are two types of drugs on the market: orthosteric, which bind at the active site; and allosteric, which bind elsewhere on the protein surface, and allosterically change the conformation of the protein binding site. In this perspective we argue that the different mechanisms through which the two drug types affect protein activity and their potential pitfalls call for different considerations in drug design. The key problem facing orthosteric drugs is side effects which can occur by drug binding to homologous proteins sharing a similar binding site. Hence, orthosteric drugs should have very high affinity to the target; this would allow a low dosage to selectively achieve the goal of target-only binding. By contrast, allosteric drugs work by shifting the free energy landscape. Their binding to the protein surface perturbs the protein surface atoms, and the perturbation propagates like waves, finally reaching the binding site. Effective drugs should have atoms in good contact with the 'right' protein atoms; that is, the contacts should elicit propagation waves optimally reaching the protein binding site target. While affinity is important, the design should consider the protein conformational ensemble and the preferred propagation states. We provide examples from functional in vivo scenarios for both types of cases, and suggest how high potency can be achieved in allosteric drug development.

Levamisole receptors: a second awakening

Levamisole and pyrantel are old (1965) but useful anthelmintics that selectively activate nematode acetylcholine ion channel receptors; they are used to treat roundworm infections in humans and animals. Interest in their actions has surged, giving rise to new knowledge and technical advances, including an ability to reconstitute receptors that reveal more details of modes of action/resistance. We now know that the receptors are plastic and may form diverse species-dependent subtypes of receptor with different sensitivities to individual cholinergic anthelmintics. Understanding the biology of the levamisole receptors is expected to inform other studies on anthelmintics (ivermectin and emodepside) that act on ion channels.

Specificity determinants of allosteric modulation in the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor: a fine line between inhibition and potentiation

We are interested in the allosteric modulation of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). We have postulated that the anthelmintic morantel (Mor) positively modulates (potentiates) rat α3β2 receptors through a site located at the β(+)/α(-) interface that is homologous to the canonical agonist site (J Neurosci 29:8734-8742, 2009). On this basis, we aimed to determine the site specificity by studying differences in modulation between α3β2 and α4β2 receptors. We also compared modulation by Mor with that of the related compound oxantel (Oxa). Whereas Mor and Oxa each potentiated α3β2 receptors 2-fold at saturating acetylcholine (ACh) concentrations, Mor had no effect on α4β2 receptors, and Oxa inhibited ACh-evoked responses. The inhibition was noncompetitive, but not due to open channel block. Furthermore, the nature and extent of modulation did not depend on subunit stoichiometry. We studied six positions at the α(-) interface that differ between α3 and α4. Two positions (α3Ile57 and α3Thr115) help mediate the effects of the modulators but do not seem to contribute to specificity. Mutations in two others (α3Leu107 and α3Ile117) yielded receptors with appreciable α4-character; that is, Mor potentiation was reduced compared with wild-type α3β2 control and Oxa inhibition was evident. A fifth position (α3Glu113) was unique in that it discriminated between the two compounds, showing no change in Mor potentiation from control but substantial Oxa inhibition. Our work has implications for rational drug design for nicotinic receptors and sheds light on mechanisms of allosteric modulation in nAChRs, especially the subtle differences between potentiation and inhibition.

Positive allosteric modulators as an approach to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-targeted therapeutics: advantages and limitations

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR), recognized targets for drug development in cognitive and neuro-degenerative disorders, are allosteric proteins with dynamic interconversions between multiple functional states. Activation of the nAChR ion channel is primarily controlled by the binding of ligands (agonists, partial agonists, competitive antagonists) at conventional agonist binding sites, but is also regulated in either negative or positive ways by the binding of ligands to other modulatory sites. In this review, we discuss models for the activation and desensitization of nAChR, and the discovery of multiple types of ligands that influence those processes in both heteromeric nAChR, such as the high-affinity nicotine receptors of the brain, and homomeric α7-type receptors. In recent years, α7 nAChRs have been identified as a potential target for therapeutic indications leading to the development of α7-selective agonists and partial agonists. However, unique properties of α7 nAChR, including low probability of channel opening and rapid desensitization, may limit the therapeutic usefulness of ligands binding exclusively to conventional agonist binding sites. New enthusiasm for the therapeutic targeting of α7 has come from the identification of α7-selective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) that work effectively on the intrinsic factors that limit α7 ion channel activation. While these new drugs appear promising for therapeutic development, we also consider potential caveats and possible limitations for their use, including PAM-insensitive forms of desensitization and cytotoxicity issues.

The positive allosteric modulator morantel binds at noncanonical subunit interfaces of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

We are interested in the positive allosteric modulation of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors and have recently shown that the anthelmintic compound morantel potentiates by enhancing channel gating of the alpha3beta2 subtype. Based on the demonstration that morantel-elicited currents were inhibited by the classic ACh competitor dihydro-beta-erythroidine in a noncompetitive manner and that morantel still potentiates at saturating concentrations of agonist (Wu et al., 2008), we hypothesized that morantel binds at the noncanonical beta2(+)/alpha3(-) subunit interface. In the present study, we created seven cysteine-substituted subunits by site-directed mutagenesis, choosing residues in the putative morantel binding site with the aid of structural homology models. We coexpressed the mutant subunits and their respective wild-type partners in Xenopus oocytes and characterized the morantel potentiation of ACh-evoked currents, as well as morantel-evoked currents, before and after treatment with a variety of methanethiosulfonate (MTS)-based compounds, using voltage-clamp recordings. The properties of four of the seven mutants, two residues on each side of the interface, were changed by MTS treatments. Coapplication with ACh enhanced the extent of MTS modification for alpha3A106Cbeta2 and alpha3beta2S192C receptors. The activities of two mutants, alpha3T115Cbeta2 and alpha3beta2T150C, were dramatically altered by MTS modification. For alpha3beta2T150C, while peak current amplitudes were reduced, potentiation was enhanced. For alpha3T115Cbeta2, both current amplitudes and potentiation were reduced. MTS modification and morantel were mutually inhibitory: MTS treatment decreased morantel-evoked currents and morantel decreased the rate of MTS modification. We conclude that the four residues showing MTS effects contribute to the morantel binding site.

Glutamine 57 at the complementary binding site face is a key determinant of morantel selectivity for {alpha}7 nicotinic receptors

Nicotinic receptors (AChRs) play key roles in synaptic transmission. We explored activation of neuronal α7 and mammalian muscle AChRs by morantel and oxantel. Our results revealed a novel action of morantel as a high efficacy and more potent agonist than ACh of α7 receptors. The EC₅₀ for activation by morantel of both α7 and α7-5HT_3A receptors is 7-fold lower than that determined for ACh. The minimum morantel concentration required to activate α7-5HT_3A channels is 6-fold lower than that of ACh, and activation episodes are more prolonged than in the presence of ACh. By contrast, oxantel is a weak agonist of α7 and α7-5HT_3A, and both drugs are very low efficacy agonists of muscle AChRs. The replacement of Gln⁵⁷ in α7 by glycine, which is found in the equivalent position of the muscle AChR, decreases the efficacy for activation and turns morantel into a partial agonist. The reverse mutation in the muscle AChR (ϵG57Q) increases 7-fold the efficacy of morantel. The mutations do not affect activation by ACh or oxantel, indicating that this position is selective for morantel. In silico studies show that the tetrahydropyrimidinyl group, common to both drugs, is close to Trp¹⁴⁹ of the principal face of the binding site, whereas the other cyclic group is proximal to Gln⁵⁷ of the complementary face in morantel but not in oxantel. Thus, position 57 at the complementary face is a key determinant of the high selectivity of morantel for α7. These results provide new information for further progress in drug design.